Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

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Plenty O’Toole: “Say, why don’t we go someplace and have a drink?”
Bond: “A drink?”

Overview: Blofeld is back, and this time, he’s wreaking international havoc with an orbiting diamond-powered laser. James Bond goes to Las Vegas to get to the bottom of the case. Once again, a bottle of alcohol helps 007 escape defeat.

What does Bond drink?

• When M and 007 meet with diamond expert Sir Donald Munger, Sir Donald offers them both a glass of sherry. M declines (citing doctor’s orders), while Bond accepts. After taking a sip, Bond remarks, “Pity about your liver sir. An unusually fine solera. Fifty-one, I believe.” M tartly replies, “There is no year for sherry, 007.” Bond adds, “I was referring to the original vintage, on which the sherry is based, sir—eighteen fifty-one. Unmistakable.” Sir Donald confirms Bond’s assessment: “Precisely.”

Solera is actually the name for a traditional Spanish system of blending fortified wines (in this case, sherry). The oldest casks of wine are topped off with slightly younger wine, and then those casks of younger wine are in turn topped off with slightly younger wine, and so on, all the way to the youngest barrel. This progressive system smoothes out the differences between vintages and improves the wine, allowing a consistent quality and style.

• When Bond (posing as Peter Franks) first arrives at Tiffany Case’s apartment in Amsterdam, she tells him “Help yourself to a drink.” Bond pours himself some Scotch whisky in a glass. Tiffany then takes the glass, saying “I’ll get you some ice.” She dusts the glass for Bond’s thumbprint, adds ice, and returns the drink to 007. Later, as she is comparing thumbprints in her bedroom, Bond takes a drink of the Scotch, and notices that the glass has been dusted.
• When Bond talks to Q on the phone from his Amsterdam hotel room, bottles of what appear to be vodka and vermouth can be seen on the dresser.
• As Bond takes a bath in his room at the Tropicana, a drink in a highball glass and a silver tray with a bottle of vodka (probably Smirnoff) and a bottle of Martini & Rossi vermouth can be seen on the edge of the tub. The evidence suggests the libation is the obligatory vodka martini.
• As Tiffany lies in the aquarium bed in the bridal suite at the Whyte House, a tray with two decanters of liquor and two unused empty glasses can be seen.
• During the film's finale, Wint and Kidd (posing as room service waiters) attempt to leave a bomb in Bond’s suite on the passenger liner. They bring a full dinner (supposedly compliments of Willard Whyte) consisting of "Oysters Andaluz, shashlik [a type of shish kebab], tidbits, prime rib au jus, Salade Utopia [which includes fruit], and for dessert...a bombe surprise" (complete with the aforementioned bomb). Wint then offers a bottle to Bond and Tiffany: “Wine, sir? Mouton Rothschild ’55. A happy selection, if I may say?” After Wint removes the cork with a needle-type opener and offers it to 007, Bond replies, “I’ll be the judge of that. That’s rather potent. Not the cork, your after-shave. Strong enough to bury anything.” (Bond has realized that Wint and Kidd had tried to bury him in a pipeline in the Nevada desert.) Tasting the wine, Bond adds “But the wine is quite excellent. Although, for such a grand meal I had rather expected a claret.” Wint takes 007’s bait: “Of course. Unfortunately, our cellars are rather poorly stocked with clarets.” Bond rebukes, “Mouton Rothschild is a claret. And I’ve smelled that aftershave before and both times I’ve smelled a rat!”

It’s not just for happy hour anymore: When Mr. Kidd attacks Bond with two flaming skewers of shashlik, Bond breaks a bottle of Courvosier and sprays the contents on the henchman. The cognac catches fire, immolating Mr. Kidd.

Other people’s drinks:

• During her first meeting with Bond in her apartment, Tiffany pours herself a glass of sweet vermouth.
• When Wint and Kidd show up to kill Shady Tree in his dressing room, a bottle of Budweiser beer is visible on the countertop.

Other observations:

• This is the only Bond film which does not feature champagne.
• After 007 kills Peter Franks outside Tiffany’s apartment, he switches wallets with him. When Tiffany retrieves the wallet, she pulls out Bond’s Playboy Club key card, and exclaims “My God—you’ve just killed James Bond!” (By the way, the ID number on the card is UK 40401, which seems like some clever way of disguising 007, perhaps 4 + 4 - 1 = 7.) For our younger readers, the key card allowed members entry into any of Playboy’s 35 clubs around the world. The Playboy Club was the hip cocktail destination during the 1960s and ’70s. Since this site focuses on one particular vice (not that we don’t like the others), check out Playboy.com’s James Bond area for more on the long relationship between the two icons.

Product placement: Martini & Rossi and Courvosier.

By the book: Based on Diamonds Are Forever (1956).

Total: Four drinks. A glass of sherry, a Scotch on the rocks, a vodka martini, and a glass of Mouton Rothschild ’55.